“Eating – particularly eating out – is often an indulgent pleasure that deserves a correspondingly lavish setting,” says Rachel Hurst in her essay, Eating and Design, published in the thirtieth anniversary issue of Artichoke. 

Her essay opens with a reference to Peter Greenaway’s gastronomic extravaganza The Cook the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, and goes on to assert “The eating experience is effectively amplified by design cues writ large.” It’s a timely reminder about the importance of theatricality on restaurant and bar design, as entries in the 2012 Eat-Drink-Design Awards draw to a close.

Hurst, is an architecture critic and academic, and a contributor to the books Eating Architecture and Food and the City. Currently exploring links between architecture and gastronomy for a PhD, Hurst is joined on the jury by restaurateur Ronnie Di Stasio, food writer Jill Dupleix, architect Roger Wood and design media personality Cameron Bruhn.

“In thinking about judging these awards, it’s not just about looking for a single, spectacular approach to the design, menu or service, but rather, a synergy between all of those things, where the design speaks to the offer of food and drink and hospitality. For me it’s about the total experience.”

Read Hurst’s article Eating and Design here.

Entries to the 2012 Eat-Drink-Design Awards close Friday 27 July. Enter here.